

The Fragile Threads of Power
Books | Fiction / Fantasy / Gaslamp
4.5
V. E. Schwab
V. E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, opens another door to a new fantasy series set in the dazzling world of Shades of Magic. Prepare for tangled schemes and perilous adventures with friends old and new in The Fragile Threads of Power. Once, there were four worlds, nestled like pages in a book, each pulsing with fantastical power and connected by a single city: London. Until the magic grew too fast and forced the worlds to seal the doors between them in a desperate gamble to protect their own. The few magicians who could still open the doors grew more rare as time passed and now, only three Antari are known in recent memory—Kell Maresh of Red London, Delilah Bard of Grey London, and Holland Vosijk, of White London. But barely a glimpse of them have been seen in the last seven years—and a new Antari named Kosika has appeared in White London, taking the throne in Holland's absence. The young queen is willing to feed her city with blood, including her own—but her growing religious fervor has the potential to drown it instead. And back in Red London, King Rhy Maresh is threatened by a rising rebellion, one determined to correct the balance of power by razing the throne entirely. These two royals from very different empires now face very similar struggles: how to keep their crowns—and their own heads. Amidst this tapestry of old friends and new enemies, a girl with an unusual magical ability comes into possession of a device that could change the fate of all four worlds. Her name is Tes, and she's the only one who can bring them together—or unravel it all. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
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Author
V. E. Schwab
Pages
656
Publisher
Tor Publishing Group
Published Date
2023-09-26
ISBN
0765387514 9780765387516
Community ReviewsSee all
"Are you seeking an encompassing series that has many characters and inconsistent rules of engagement? Perhaps this is your future! It has been my project for several weeks as I travelled. Did not love it for the first 400 pages as I tried to understand the fantasy world. Still don’t love all of it but parts are magical. A very ambitious project by VE Schwab of Addie Larue fame. My problem? Like the Marvel movies, the challenge is when power is so great why are problem’s not solved easily. The wielding of power is of consequence and leads to magical thinking and expectations. Not a fan of white saviors- or black or any other color. Some issues are resolved here but mostly it is the casual arrogance of self serving magic that is the fall back and the intrusion of lazy pleasure and comfort. Worth a read and would love a discussion. "
"Being back in the Shades of Magic world was so much fun. It felt like coming home while still getting to meet new characters and see new worlds. Getting to read about Kell, Lila, Rhy, and Alucard again was definitely a highlight throughout this story. We got to see their relationships progress and develop despite there being a seven-year time jump. However, nothing felt belabored either. It was a perfect mix of a refresher and a new plot. <br/><br/>The development of White London was well executed and I want to know more immediately. I think we got a small taste of what the queen is willing to sacrifice for her city and I can see her playing a major role in future books. Shwab's ability to expand on an already well-developed world and magic system deserves applause. The way she also played around with magic devolving in Red London makes me think a lot of crazy things are about to happen in the next couple of books. <br/><br/>And the new characters all had their time to shine. Tes was an amazing introduction to the series. Her magic provides a whole new sense of expanding the world building in this series and her perspective was so interesting to read. Rhy's wife was also an interesting character. I don't like her, but she adds a new personality to the main group of characters and I see big plots ahead for her."
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Alyssa Czernek
"incredible spin off"
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Lucy
"I'm such a big fan of V. E. S and knew this would be another winner. I won't lie though, reading in paper book format was hard with the timeline jumps and muti perspective and preferred the audiobook. I felt like this tied up all the loose ends from the other books without giving me a story line that was ultimately pointless or unnecessary. "